The Fate We Have Chosen
by half-a-recess
Summary: Sequel to One in a Hundred. (finally) Kuwabara makes a decision on whether or not to tell Yukina who Hiei really is, but is anyone willing to deal with the consequences? Is it worth the life of a friend? rr please!
1. Chapter 1

The Fate We Have Chosen...

000

All of the detectives let out a sigh of relief as they felt the atmosphere change, knowing that they had just entered the human realm once more. The trees around them swayed in the breeze, giving off a fresh pine scent which they appreciatively inhaled. Soon they would be in Genkai's temple, likely enjoying refreshments and clean clothes before heading home to their own beds. Though there had been no wounds and no deaths on their mission, it was not any less stressful.

Upon reaching their destination, they had discovered the cause of the trouble was not due to anything they had previously suspected. It was true that two S class demons were about to plan an attack, but it was not with Reikai; it was with each other. As it turned out, the trouble had started a few months ago for the two livestock owners with the birth of a three-legged pig. According to local folklore, the birth of a three-legged pig marked the beginning of ten years of prosperity for the owner of the pig. The argument was at first about who rightfully owned the pig. One demon had argued that he owned the sow that birthed the piglet, but the other demon protested that the first demon had sold him the sow, not knowing she was pregnant.

It had taken two very stressful days of negotiations for the detectives to finally convince the demons to share the pig. However, on the second day, the piglet had died. According to folklore, the owner of a _dead_ three-legged pig would suffer ten years of _bad luck_. So then, of course, both demons claimed the pig belonged to the other.

It was ultimately Kurama who had solved the matter, they later decided. At one point, the two demons had become so riled that the detectives had prepared for attack. Kurama had changed into his _yoko_ form in order to control the surrounding plants and heighten his defense. However, at the moment of Kurama's transformation, the two demons had immediately stopped their impending fight. Also according to local folklore, the appearance of a _yoko_ had varying luck depending upon its reasoning for coming. Should a _yoko_ visit during the night, a farmer should expect persistent bad luck or pranks, all placed by the mischievous _yoko_. Should a _yoko_ visit in broad daylight, a farmer should expect his crops to prosper, and in turn his livestock. It was a lucky thing that it was broad daylight, that Kurama was a _yoko_, and that he had in fact been feeding his youki to the farmer's crops upon noticing their lack of attention to such things during the whole piglet incident.

Regardless of their odd, yet successful mission, the detectives were home now and trudging in the general direction of Genkai's temple. Although Genkai had died some years earlier, Yukina continued to live at and care for the temple, preserving its beauty. Because of its remoteness, Yukina would be able to live her whole life there in peace should she wish it. Even with the reveal of demons living among humans, the mixing of cultures was not yet accepted by everyone. Here she could be safe and happy.

Yukina waved to them as they entered the temple grounds, and hurried them inside where she offered them clean clothes and already drawn baths. Though they were truly happy to be back, heaviness had settled around them, so the usual din of chatter was considerably muted. None had truly forgotten the sight beneath the glacier, after all. Tired from the recent events, Kurama and Yusuke each ventured home, leaving Kuwabara at the temple. Hiei had stayed as well, becoming startlingly tired near evening.

Kuwabara, however, had something far more troubling weighing on his conscience. Now that he was sure he knew Hiei's true identity, what was he to do with this information? It would be a bad thing to lie to one's fiancé, especially when the lie concerned something she so desperately wanted to know. At first Kuwabara had thought to leave it alone. It was Hiei's business whether or not to tell Yukina, after all… But then again, Kuwabara remembered that it was Yukina's business to know about her brother for whom she had searched for so long. These troubling thoughts kept Kuwabara up long into the night until he decided to take a short walk out on the porch.

Outside he nearly tripped on Yukina who had been sitting on the steps.

"Ah, Yukina!" he exclaimed with surprise. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there!"

She smiled up at him and patted the space beside her. "Don't worry about it. Could you not sleep, either?"

Kuwabara sat beside her and shook his head.

"I could have made you something to help you sleep," she offered.

"No thanks," Kuwabara sighed, his gaze drifting towards the small ice maiden as she studied him with concerned ruby eyes. Kuwabara shivered internally, remembering why he was awake in the first place. Then he remembered that Yukina said she couldn't sleep… "Is there something troubling you, Yukina?"

"I—" she paused, seeming unsure of how to continue. "I drugged Hiei-san, and that is why he agreed to sleep here," she admitted guiltily.

Kuwabara blinked at her in surprise. "Drugged him?" he asked.

She nodded. "He never visits, so I wanted him to stay for a while longer. I gave him a sleeping drink," she clarified. "I cannot explain it Kazuma, but I…"

Kuwabara could not help his heart from pounding. He did not want to urge her to continue, but he wished she would not pause all the same.

"I feel… connected to him," Yukina said softly, and Kuwabara let out a breath of relief. "I feel unbearably sad sometimes when Hiei leaves, like there is something I should say to him, but…"

She stopped suddenly and looked at Kuwabara, as if suddenly noticing he was there. "I'm sorry, I don't know what I'm saying sometimes," she said embarrassedly.

Kuwabara smiled at her. "Yukina, you can tell me anything. I can keep it a secret if you'd like."

Yukina's eyes widened before she returned his smile. "I _do _have a secret, Kazuma," she said twisting her kimono sleeve nervously.

She looked around as if making sure no one was lurking around the deserted temple. Then leaning closer Yukina whispered, "I think… Kazuma, I think Hiei—well, I suspect him to be…"

She sighed, unable to continue. Kuwabara took her hand, which was still tangled in her kimono. "Suspect him to be _what_, Yukina?"

Her eyes met his as she shakily breathed, "My brother."

Kuwabara's eyes widened. So Yukina knew. Both of them knew, and neither of them had confronted the other about the issue. If they wanted to be together so badly, then why were they avoiding the topic? And what was Kuwabara supposed to do? Maybe he should just play dumb… Or he could try to be clever and manipulate them to tell each other without them knowing it was his plan all along.

"Surely you have noticed, Kazuma," he heard Yukina say above the pounding in his ears. "You are psychic, after all."

"Yukina-chan," he sighed, not knowing how to approach the situation.

"Oh, fine then!" hissed Yukina, removing her hand from Kuwabara's and looking away from him. "Just avoid the topic like everyone else I ask! Everyone thinks they can keep secrets from _Yukina-chan _and she will be none the wiser!"

"No, that's not what I was going to say!" Kuwabara insisted, grabbing her hand again. "I was surprised because that's the whole reason I'm awake tonight."

She looked at him in astonishment. "Kazuma?"

"I share your suspicions, Yukina," Kuwabara told her. "I only made the connection today, but…"

"So it is true," Yukina said.

"I don't think that I am mistaken," Kuwabara confirmed.

Yukina then developed a sad look as she asked, "Then why does he continue to lie to me? Why does he insist that my brother is dead?"

"I—" Kuwabara tried, but his voice died in his throat. He didn't know why Hiei didn't tell her. He didn't even know if it was for a good reason.

"Why won't he tell me, Kazuma?" she asked again, her voice trembling.

He opened his mouth to answer when another thought occurred to him. "I could ask you the same thing."

"What?" she questioned with shock.

"You accuse Hiei of hiding secrets from you, but you are also hiding secrets from him," Kuwabara explained.

"But he—" Yukina protested with confusion.

"We don't know why he hasn't told you. But I wonder why _you _haven't told _him_," Kuwabara said.

Silence hung over them for a moment as Kuwabara waited expectantly for an answer.

"I fear he will be angry with me," Yukina finally admitted.

"Why would he be angry with you?" Kuwabara asked quizzically.

"I am a member of the society of women who tried to destroy him," she said heavily. "This was the reason I didn't say anything at first. I didn't know if he would hate me for it. But now I fear revealing myself to him because I have hidden this from him for _years_."

"Well now you have the perfect occasion," said Kuwabara. When Yukina gave him a questioning stare, he explained, "You've already drugged him. So long as he's here you should tell him the truth."

Yukina studied her shoes, suddenly feeling weary. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

Neither felt like sleeping, so they sat in a comfortable silence until morning broke over the horizon.

000

The next day had been surprisingly uneventful. Hiei never questioned Yukina on why he had gotten so sleepy after drinking some tea she had fixed for him. Yukina stayed in the kitchen for much of her time claiming she had lots of work to do while Hiei alternated between relaxing on the porch and practicing sword maneuvers in the yard. Finally, Kuwabara decided that he had had enough of this. Yukina was clearly avoiding Hiei, and she was going to miss her chance if she kept this up.

"Yukina, don't you think Hiei might like some refreshments?" Kuwabara hinted, walking into the kitchen.

"Oh," she said, startled at his sudden appearance. "I've been thinking, Kazuma, that maybe it's better if I just—"

"Yukina, you cannot keep running from this or the guilt will consume you," he lightly scolded her, folding his arms.

She sighed in defeat. "You're right. Will you please tell Hiei I would like him to join me for tea?"

"Of course," Kuwabara said as he left the room.

Yukina pulled cups from the cabinet and dropped tea into an already steaming kettle. She had planned to confront Hiei much earlier in the day, but she had suddenly found so many things to do rather than speak with him. The butterflies in her stomach were in full flight by the time Kuwabara returned and announced that Hiei had agreed to have tea with her.

"Will you stay with me?" she asked Kuwabara timidly.

"I will if that's what you want," he assured her, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Yukina nodded appreciatively. Even if Hiei did not accept the news and left, Yukina would at least have Kuwabara beside her. Gathering her courage, she lifted the tray and entered the living room where Hiei was already waiting stiffly.

"Ah, I'm so glad you agreed to stay today, Hiei-san," Yukina said awkwardly, serving tea to all of them.

Hiei merely nodded and sniffed his cup. Apparently though he held no grudge against Yukina for putting the drug in his cup yesterday, he would not be taking the same chance again. Only when Kuwabara took a sip did he finally taste his.

"You see, I've been meaning to speak to you for a while now," she said, staring into her cup intently.

Hiei had finally looked up at her, prompting her to continue.

"I—you see, it is about my brother," she said.

Hiei sighed and shook his head. "I have already told you—"

"And I have already said that I do not believe you," she cut across him. "What could I give you to convince you to reveal his whereabouts? Money? I have even offered you teargems—"

Hiei protested, "I have no need for your teargems—"

"Of course you don't! Not when you could produce them yourself if you wished," Yukina said, her voice shaking a little, though whether it was from nervousness or pent up rage, Kuwabara did not know.

Hiei's eyes widened and his body went rigid with shock. "Yukina—" he tried.

Yukina cut across him, "Hiei I know you are—"

"No!" Hiei nearly shouted. Yukina snapped her mouth shut in confusion. "Please don't. Please don't say it, Yukina."

Her brows furrowed with confusion. "But you are my—"

The shattering of glass was heard as Hiei dropped his cup and lunged forward to clap a hand over Yukina's mouth. "Stop," he said seriously. "You mustn't say it, Yukina. I cannot hear those words from you."

Chancing his luck, he removed his hand and breathed a sigh of relief when she did not continue her sentence.

"But why?" she asked with hurt in her voice.

There was a long pause before Hiei decided to answer her.

"They do not call them ice witches just to be crude," Hiei said.

"What do you mean?" Yukina asked. Could it be that Hiei really did hate her?

"And they do not call me the 'cursed child' for nothing," Hiei continued. "When the elders discovered that I survived the fall they placed a curse on me."

"What was the curse?" Yukina questioned.

"It means that should I find my sister, I must never reveal myself. She shall never call me her brother to my face," Hiei said, meeting Yukina's eyes, "or she shall slowly die."

Both Kuwabara and Yukina gasped in disbelief. Kuwabara's heart sunk. Perhaps he should have spoken with Hiei instead of Yukina. If he had known about the reason…

"I don't believe the elders can cast real curses," Yukina said stubbornly.

"Why not?" Hiei asked, amusement trickling through his voice.

"Miss Rui said they called you the 'cursed child' because the curse they placed on you would ensure you would live a miserable life should you somehow survive," Yukina told him.

"And it has been pretty shitty," Hiei pointed out.

"Perhaps there has been more misfortune than normal, but many good things have happened to you," Yukina insisted. "You have friends here, and you have become very powerful. Not to mention it must have taken some sort of good luck to survive a Jagan implant! And… you found me," she said. "I do not believe in the elder's curses."

"Then perhaps you should," Hiei said, rising to leave. "I do not fear the elders, but your life is not something I am willing to risk for my own selfish wishes."

With those words hanging in the air, Hiei exited through the screen door fully intent on leaving. Before he could use his speed to make his escape, he felt a hand close around his wrist.

"Maybe it is a risk _I_ am willing to take!" Yukina snapped, not relinquishing her grasp even as he tried to brush her off.

"Yukina, you are being foolish," Hiei argued.

"No, you are the fool here, Hiei!" Yukina said. "It is so like you to wallow in your self-pity!"

"_What?"_ Hiei hissed. If he had ever been truly angry with Yukina, this would be it.

"Oh, poor Hiei and his horrible life! Well excuse me for giving you a reality check!" she shouted at him. "The truth is that you want to blame all your problems on some supposed curse! To you it doesn't matter what you do because you have resigned yourself to always be what the elders have dictated you be!"

"And what is that?" Hiei demanded loudly.

"Cruel!" she shouted.

Hiei looked as if he had been slapped.

"But I have seen how kind and honorable you are at heart, Hiei," she continued, her voice still louder than normal but certainly not shouting anymore. "I know you have been hardened by hardships in your life. You have to be practically made of stone in the demon world to survive there. But your only reason for being cruel is that you believe on some level what the elders have said."

"Yukina—" Hiei tried again tiredly.

"The elders will not decide my fate, and I will be damned before I let them decide it for you!" she pressed on.

Hiei protested weakly, "Don't—"

"You are my brother Hiei," Yukina said firmly. "And we both know it."

There was a long silence in which they both stood facing each other, Yukina having long ago released Hiei from her grasp in all the excitement.

"And as you can see, I am not dead," she said curtly.

Hiei looked her up and down. "No, you are not," he confirmed.

There was another awkward silence.

"I'm sorry for all of the things I said, Hiei," she apologized suddenly. "I don't think you like to wallow in self-pity—"

"Yes I do," Hiei muttered.

"No, I was just so angry!" Yukina assured him. "You're actually very selfless when it comes to many things, and…"

She trailed off, not sure how to continue. She had never actually had a fight with someone who she wanted to make up with afterwards. Luckily, Kuwabara, who had been forgotten on the porch in all the commotion, broke the silence.

"Uh, you guys, it's about to rain. You might want come back inside," Kuwabara called.

They both looked at the sky, noticing the dark clouds for the first time. Yukina flinched as she felt a raindrop land on her nose, but smiled as she noticed Hiei glaring at the gathering spots on his shirt.

"Hiei," she laughed as the rain picked up. "Try this!"

She turned her face skyward and opened her mouth to catch the raindrops in the sudden downpour.

Hiei watched her for a moment before he shook his head in amusement. "You look stupid."

"And you're soaking wet," she laughed, pointing out Hiei's drenched attire. "How about we go inside and dry off."

Hiei nodded and they ventured inside for warm clothes and towels. When they were dried off, Yukina made a new batch of tea and cleaned up the mess from earlier. Hiei watched she and Kuwabara chatter about this, that, and the other numerous things he would not ordinarily care about. Today, however, Hiei thought that listening to such dull things was not as unbearable as he originally thought. In fact, today those dull things were a little bit… pleasant. And today Hiei allowed himself to think that maybe, just maybe he was not so unfortunate as he originally assumed.

'_Perhaps,' _Hiei thought,_ 'today could even be… a happy ending...'_

000

Yes? No?

Fun fact: I originally came up with the story of two S class demons fighting over a three-legged goat. Then my friend informed me that in some Indian cultures supposedly believe that three-legged pigs will bring good fortune… So, three legged pig.


	2. A Party of Sorts

The Fate We Have Chosen

Chapter 2

half-a-recess

To say it wasn't long before the rest of… well everyone… heard the news of the siblings would be a drastic understatement. In fact, in only hours the information had somehow leaked into the ears of their friends, and Hiei had a sneaking suspicion that Botan was the one to blame despite not having seen her in the general vicinity during the incident. All of this aside, Yusuke had made his way loudly into the temple proclaiming that he had organized a birthday party for them both. Although Yukina tried to explain to Yusuke that their birthday had already come and gone, he would hear none of it as he continued to wildly toss bright unfurling streamers over the temple rafters. Soon afterwards, Kurama showed up with a cake closely followed by everyone else bearing party favors and refreshments. Disregarding Hiei's constant eye twitch, the party was pleasant and full of laughter that lasted long into the night and early morning with more than a few of them stumbling a little on their way out.

That was an incident they would all remember in many a bittersweet reverie in years to come…

The morning of Yukina's wedding to Kazuma Kuwabara began in bright spirits mere months after the sibling's reunion. The men lazed in Kurama's apartment, determined not to get dressed until they knew they had to. Though "lazed" may not be the correct term for Kuwabara, who was constantly getting up to look inside the fridge without taking anything. None of them had seen Hiei yet that day, though the fire demon had promised to be there. Hiei had refused vehemently to "give Yukina away" having misunderstood the whole explanation of the term and its traditional meaning to humans (whose traditions Hiei held very little respect for in the first place).

Every once in a while, when Yusuke would tell Kuwabara to chill, he would reply with something like, "What if she says no?"

At this point Yusuke would answer, "She already said yes to you, doofus!"

Kurama would then roll his eyes and turn another page in the heavy book he was reading. It was not until ten o'clock in the morning that the phone rang.

000

There were giggles from behind the door where Yukina lay sleeping peacefully. She smiled in blissful ignorance as the door slid open revealing Keiko, Shizuru, and Botan's peeking heads. They did a poor job of stifling their laughter behind their mischievous hands as they crept up next to the bed, each carrying a small confetti-cracker. They perched beside her, glancing at each other for the signal.

"Rise and shine!" They cried, exploding the crackers with loud pops allowing confetti to rain everywhere.

Nothing.

They all peered down to Yukina who still slept soundly.

"Either she's one heavy sleeper, or we got her more drunk last night than we knew," Shizuru said thoughtfully, tossing her cracker shell carelessly over her shoulder.

"Yukina, wake up!" Keiko coaxed, shaking her lightly before pulling her hand back. "She's cold as ice!" she gasped, rubbing her hand.

"Of course she is," Shizuru replied. "She's an ice maiden."

"Yukina?" Botan called, pulling back one of her eyelids, which was dilated and unreactive.

She frowned and let the lid slide shut. Yukina was certainly breathing, so she wasn't dead at least. They knew something was definitely wrong, though they were unsure of what to do about it just yet. Who do you call to doctor a demon? Botan, still searching for something to do, bent close to hear Yukina's heart.

Two hands, cold as ice, clamped on either side of her head. No matter how she tried to pull away, they held fast. Shizuru gasped and Keiko yelped as they both sprang forward to restrain the small, but strong ice demon. Yukina's eyes snapped open though they gazed at the ceiling lifelessly, and her mouth gaped to suck in a raspy gasp. By now Keiko and Shizuru were screaming Yukina's name as they wrestled with her unrelenting hands while Botan cried out from the icy pressure on her head. Just when the struggle had reached its climax and Yukina was gasping to near convulsion, the girl fell limp against the futon as if she had fallen asleep again.

Botan, shaking and sobbing, clung to Keiko who stared at Yukina fearfully. Shizuru tentatively reached a hand toward the Koorime, but pulled back as if burned.

"What is it?" asked Keiko.

Shizuru glared at Yukina as if she could see something the others could not, and replied, "Something very dark."

000

It was Kurama who answered the phone. Kuwabara had truly been closest, but he had been so startled that he tripped and fell on top of Yusuke, starting a near-brawling argument.

Kurama heard the girls all speaking in panicked voices across the line.

"Yukina—"

"And then she wouldn't wake up!"

"We tried to stop her—"

"You have to come immediately!

"We just wanted to surprise her!"

"—like she was possessed!"

"Kurama!"

"What do we do?"

"Help!"

"Kurama!"

"ENOUGH!" Kurama shouted in a loud voice no one had thought one so graceful could produce. Yusuke and Kuwabara stopped their roughhousing immediately, and sobbing was heard from the other line. "We will be there shortly," Kurama said quietly, and hung up.

"Get your clothes on," he said to the others.

"What's going on?" Kuwabara asked.

"Hurry!" snapped Kurama, who was already dressing rapidly not caring if he was mixing clothes from yesterday.

000

Within an hour's time, they were gathered around Yukina's resting place, Kurama attempting to rouse her or decipher the cause of her sleep without actually touching her. He finally leaned back and shook his head. She appeared to be in good physical health for the moment with exception to her inability to wake and her previous episode of spasms that the girls had described. Kuwabara was pale and silent behind him.

"This sickness is beyond what I can see or sense," Kurama admitted, watching Yukina warily. "I could test her for poison, but touching her could result in a reaction like earlier—only this time it could be fatal."

"I don't think it's poison," said Shizuru quietly, hugging herself as if she were cold. "I sense a dark presence within her, though I cannot see it."

Kurama stared at her intently for a moment before running a hand over his eyes. "I don't think we have another choice, but…"

Yusuke nodded grimly. "Hiei's Jagan."

"I'll find him," Kurama decided, standing.

"No need," Hiei's voice came from the doorway, making them turn. They hadn't even noticed him arrive. His face was calm and stone-like, betraying the turmoil within him. He approached Yukina and stood over her, closing his eyes and lifting the ward from his Jagan. The purple iris glared down at the sleeping maiden with its penetrating stare. Hiei's brow furrowed, though his eyes remained closed as he kneeled as if to get a closer look. For several minutes, he remained this way until he finally opened his eyes and stood.

There was a long pause in which no one spoke until Kuwabara finally broke the silence. "So?"

Hiei was still staring at Yukina inquiringly as if he were struggling to retrieve the answer. "Something dark," he finally replied.

"Yeah, Shizuru told us," Yusuke said. "Any ideas what it might be?"

"I have several ideas of what it _might be_, detective," Hiei snapped turning to face them with eyes blazing.

"What did you see?" Kurama asked quietly.

Hiei turned his gaze to the fox. "Something. _Dark._" He said again through gritted teeth. "The Jagan cannot penetrate the darkness surrounding her."

"If I know more about its nature, perhaps I can use a remedy to postpone—" Kurama began.

"Unless you can postpone a curse," Hiei growled. "This reeks of Koorime magic."

"None of us could use magic to undo the spell?" Kuwabara asked hollowly from the corner. He was glistening in a thin sheet of sweat.

"It would take a very powerful warlock to reverse the spell, if it could be done at all!" Hiei snarled.

"How much time do we have?" Yusuke asked calmly.

Hiei paused, taken aback at the sudden reasonable attitude the detective had taken in the presence of everyone's distress.

"I am unsure," Hiei replied, turning expressionless again. "I cannot See it. I had expected it much sooner in the first place."

Yusuke hummed to himself and tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling. "We had better get started, then. Kurama, where do we find a witch or warlock?"

Kurama thought aloud, "Only the Koorime and a select few who live reclusively in the outer wilderness of the Makai exist. I know none of them personally, much less how to reach them."

"Alright, let's pack our things," Yusuke ordered, leaving to get a spare pack from a closet.

"But we don't know where we're going," said Kuwabara, shakily following Yusuke to the kitchen to retrieve food items.

"Not yet, we don't," Yusuke said. "But Yukina is losing time. I suggest we head toward that big ol' floating iceberg first off."

"It may be full of witches, but they will not help us," Kurama warned.

"Maybe they won't, but there's bound to be more magic-users hiding around somewhere," Yusuke replied.

"What makes you think—" Kuwabara began, but Kurama cut him off.

"That is actually a very good point," Kurama agreed. "Just as in chemistry where like dissolves like, so too does magic attract magic users."

"When was the last time you saw a warlock?" Kuwabara asked.

"Not for an age," Kurama said with a smile, though it had a grim light to it. The smile spurred no confidence in Kuwabara.

They gathered their supplies quickly and met back on the front porch where Hiei was already waiting. The girls still huddled in a group, distressed by the news.

"We'll be back when we have someone who can save Yukina," Kuwabara told them, attempting to put on a brave face.

"Good luck holding down the fort," Yusuke said with a thumbs-up, at which they smiled wetly.

"I'll do what I can for her until you get back," Botan said comfortingly, though she could feel the tug of death nearby.

Kuwabara nodded stiffly, and they dashed into the tree line.

As they ran, Kuwabara allowed branches and thorns to lash at his body creating cuts and welts. This was not an act of clumsiness, however. He relished in the stings in attempts to break some of his pain he felt for his Yukina. The maiden had lain, though not in any apparent pain, in the grasp of such a dark energy. This morning he woke to think he would be married to her, but before noon had even come around, she may be ripped suddenly from him. He wanted nothing more than to run to complete exhaustion, to scream in rage and desperation to the heavens, pulling at his hair. He wanted nothing more than to die in her place so that she might live.

He set his face into a resolved grimace as he urged his legs to carry him faster even as they burst through the portal and he was slammed with powerful miasmic air. Kuwabara knew that breaking down would not save his Yukina. And he _would_ save her, or he would die trying.

000

Sorry this chapter isn't all that long. I have just recently come upon the time to do what I want with this story! I have other chapters I am editing currently...

R&R - or don't ;_;


	3. The Initial Mishap

The Fate We Have Chosen

Chapter 3

half-a-recess

The four comrades glared up at the floating glacier once again, though it was far away this time, having risen much higher in the sky since their last visit. Clouds of snowstorms concealed it, causing it to appear as nothing more than an ornery gray cloud in the patched sky, though the team knew the difference. They had truly made excellent time, having borrowed one of Makuro's patrol vehicles (or commandeered at sword-point) part of the way. Now the real challenge began.

Where could they find a warlock?

"We should get closer," Kurama said.

"It's really high," said Kuwabara, squinting up at it. "You think it'll do us any good?"

Yusuke scratched his cheek. "Hey, Hiei," he called up to a nearby branch, "Does that eye come with a warlock tracking device?"

"I am not a blood-hound," Hiei muttered from the tree, though he did jump down to join them. "Besides, the Jagan cannot distinguish magic from yoki."  
>Kurama nodded in agreement. "It is true that the aura of a magic-user appears quite ordinary in comparison to that of other humans and demons."<p>

"So we need to get closer because…" Yusuke asked.

"If memory serves me correctly, and forgive me if I take pride in saying that it will, the island is currently floating above a small trading village," he answered.

"We may be able to wander through and listen for rumors."

"Yeah, I'm sure people talk about this stuff all the time," Kuwabara grumbled.

"If you know how to phrase the question, you may be surprised by what responses you will get," Kurama said, matter-of-factly. "No promises though," he added, as if to save his reputation if the trip proved fruitless.

"So, just let you do the talking?" Yusuke asked.

"That is the gist of the idea, yes," Kurama smiled pleasantly.

000

The sun was setting rapidly when they made it to the village, just as Kurama had claimed would be there. However, the place was still alight with a startling amount of those who preferred the night-life. While venders were packing up their stalls, bright lights danced in the windows of the bars and inns as laughter, fighting and music poured out into the streets. Kuwabara wrinkled his nose as one demon alternated between insulting "that blonde broad" and vomiting beside the building with a title neither Kuwabara nor Yusuke could read. Kurama, however, took the scene as a sign to enter, and enter they did.

Oddly, no one seemed to give Kuwabara a second glance other than an initial glare, or flare of nostrils. There did not seem to be any man-eaters in the vicinity. Thank goodness. They weaved their way to the bar, the stools mostly unoccupied at the moment, many of the demons having moved over to the stage seats to watch a girl with four arms saunter around provocatively. Yusuke promptly looked over the stash of alcohol, and called for the bar-tender.

The balding gremlin-man tender appeared at once, at which point Yusuke pointed at the bottle "with the lady on the label", which he had seen Chu bragging about once upon a time. The bartender raised an overly-long eyebrow, but served the drink nonetheless. Perhaps he wouldn't comment.

"Not from around here are ye?" he asked with a heavy accent, comparable to perhaps German. Damn, no such luck.

Yusuke opened his mouth to answer, but Kurama stepped promptly on his foot. "No, he's not."

Hiei muttered some form of gibberish under his breath, and the bartender immediately provided him a bourbon-looking liquid from under the counter, appearing more comfortable now. Kurama ordered a purplish drink which he had referred to as what sounded like a "Mad Harpy Lady". The bartender stood awkwardly in front of Kuwabara, who stared awkwardly back. After a moment's paused, the bartender offered a drink he claimed compared to human-world's Raurikson's. Kuwabara took a tentative sip, and then nodded.

"What brings you here?" the gremlin asked casually, cleaning a glass.

Some ears a couple of stools down seemed to perk up to listen. "The anniversary of a comrade's death," Kurama answered, taking a forlorn tone. "We drink to him every year."

The gremlin nodded in supposed sympathy, pouring Yusuke another glass. The listening ears seemed to tune out, deeming the conversation to be mostly boring. Another sob story.

"Ah, had myself a friend like that," the gremlin admitted. "We used to have a grand ol' time. I became an adventurer after he died, but then I took an arrow to the—"

"Oi, Tok!" a rather drunk demon called from the end of the table, apparently requesting another drink in the odd language.

"Excuse me," the gremlin, now known as Tok, said as he passed to the other end of the bar.

The four sat for another hour or two, refilling drinks, though not often enough to get drunk. Kuwabara could not hear a thing through all the ruckus, so instead he cast about the room with his consciousness in search of anything close to Yukina's aura, his theory being that if Koorime were witches, then another magic-user may feel like Yukina to him. Yusuke seemed to be lost in his drinking, having grown tired of the conversation a fat demon was having with a saloon girl behind him. Hiei's Jagan glowed subtly behind its ward, his natural eyes closed, exploring the thoughts of those in the farther corners, taking care to keep from detection. Kurama had taken on the expression of someone reminiscing, although his senses wandered calculatingly as he studied the room's occupants in the mirrored wall behind the counter.

Tok had returned to offer Kuwabara another beer when a chill swept the room. Chatter stopped, and something could be heard rolling across the floor. The doors of the other pubs and brothels could be heard opening as some demons filtered outside.

"Odd," Kurama mused. "Something is amiss." Though, the other Tantei knew the fox had probably planned for such an occurrence since earlier that afternoon.

"It's those Ice Women," Tok said, lowly. "When they come down to trade, the island gets very close to the ground, and a sudden winter spreads through the village."

"Koorime," Kurama surmised, sounding stunned. Hiei had to take great effort not to roll his eyes at the fox's act.

"They won't be down till tomorrow when the streets will be covered with their ice and snow," Tok explained further.

Everyone went back to their drinking, though the atmosphere was more muted than before as demons had conversations in low voices. Kurama would have smirked triumphantly if it would not have given him away. He turned to Kuwabara with an excited expression.

"Your first trip to Makai is very exciting after all!" he exclaimed, though no louder than everyone else's murmurs. "Perhaps you will get the chance to glimpse one of the Snow Maidens."

Kuwabara stared at him dumbly for a moment. He had seen Yukina before. Kurama was confusing him. Perhaps it would help it Kurama explained his plans before dragging everyone else into them.

'Play along, you fool!' he heard Hiei's voice in his head.

'What?' he thought back.

'Kurama is acting! Act along with him, and fast! People are beginning to take notice!'

Sure enough, Kurama was waiting expectantly, and a few of the more curious groups were beginning to take notice of the awkward lull in their conversation.

"Why? Are they pretty?" Kuwabara asked, luckily achieving the tone he had hoped for.

"Ha!" a demon coughed at the end of the bar, in fact the same demon who had called Tok away from them initially.

"What's so funny? You laughing at me!" Kuwabara threatened. Perhaps the drinks had affected him a little.

The demon shook his head, his greasy hair flailing limply. "They're pretty alright, and about as cold as any woman can come. Don't waste your time looking, human!"

"You don't know anything!" Kuwabara said, leaping to his feet before being pulled back down by Yusuke.

"Hey, man, don't you have a fiancé?" he said, though it was a little slurred.

Hiei resisted the urge to let his face sink into his hands. It seemed that Yusuke hadn't really been watching his drinking after all (who knew the amount of the tab now), and Kuwabara was suffering at least some of the effects of the Makai drink.

"You lookin' for a fi—hic—fight, man?" the demon at the end of the bar asked, stumbling to his feet.

By now they definitely had the attention of the entire bar. Tok, behind the counter, was glancing back and forth, cleaning a glass with snoozing customer's cloak hem he had accidentally picked up instead of a washcloth.

"I'd love to fight!" Yusuke proclaimed, swaying a little, now addressing the bar loudly. "But there doesn't seem to be anyone strong enough in here!"

"I beg your pardon!"

"You wanna test that!"

"The nerve!"

The collective bar shouted, though there were many other strings of words in another language. Kurama sighed and rested his chin in his hand, sipping up the rest of his drink. It had been going so well… Maybe there would not be a way to salvage the situation, but at least Yusuke wouldn't make it worse than a fight.

"Who do you think you are?" the demon shouted from his position still close to his bar stool.

'Don't answer that, just fight,' Kurama thought as loudly as he could.

'Please say some ridiculous lie,' Hiei mentally sighed, trying to break past Yusuke's mental barriers.

Yusuke took a deep breath and struck a fighting stance. "I am Yusuke! Son of Raizen!"

Wow. He made it worse. Hiei groaned and actually did put his face in his hands. Kurama stood and held his hands up defensively.

"Please, pay him no mind! He's drunk!" he insisted. "Come on, help me get him out of here," he said to Hiei.

The demon laughed, and so did others, though nervously. "How rich! And here I thought _I _was drunk!" He turned to the demon next to him as if telling him a secret. "The-the poor bastard thinks he's Raizen's son!"

"I am!" Yusuke said, shaking Kurama off.

Hiei had scooted down a stool as if to say 'Nonmitzch gerinche' or in the common tongue 'I am not associated with them.'

Yusuke gestured to the rest of the group, winking at Kurama, who was shaking his head fervently. "And we're here on official Spirit World business!"

"How dare you bring Spirit World matters here!" Tok shouted, having turned a sudden coin from fear to anger as did the rest of the bar. "Get out! Get out!" he shouted, shooing them.

"Not so—" Yusuke began to tut before he was forcibly yanked by Hiei and Kurama away towards the door.

They rushed from the scene, Kuwabara hot on their tail as the demons cheered and threw a mug after them, which smashed against the closed door.

"I thought you were watching him!" Kurama accused Hiei angrily, dragging Yusuke down the street. All the while, Yusuke was still yelling back insults at the demon who had picked a fight.

"I _was_," Hiei hissed. Yusuke seemed to become more drunk by the minute. "He must have downed two in a row or something. He kept ordering the 'Busty Lady'. They take a while to kick in."

Yusuke suddenly stopped fighting them and looped an arm around Kuwabara, walking beside him. "Don't worry, man! I've got your back!"

"I don't think that was part of the plan, Urameshi," Kuwabara said, supporting his friend all the way out of town and into the secluded woods. Kurama insisted that word would travel so quickly that they would not be able to get a room anywhere.

"Smooth, Detective, very smooth," Hiei said with an extra dose of sarcasm.

"Oh, do you think we caused a scene?" Yusuke asked, looking back at the bar.

"Perhaps," said Kurama tightly.

Kuwabara gasped suddenly, and the two demons turned, weapon-ready.

"We didn't pay the tab," he realized.

Kurama and Hiei turned away in annoyance before they began walking again.

"Where do we go now?" Kurama asked himself aloud.

"I may know a place," Hiei answered.

000

Alas! Kurama's plan foiled! Though it really is unclear about what it was in the first place... n.n

R&R... or maybe you won't...


	4. Mother's Hunger

**Psst! If you are thinking of dropping this, you will really be missing out! It's gonna get so awesome! **

The Fate We Have Chosen

Chapter 4

Half-a-recess

The following morning Yusuke awoke to the stabbing sound of birds singing and early sunlight gently drilling into his eyes even though he had shut them immediately upon discovery of his hangover. He groaned and rolled over stiffly. He could not remember the last time he had gotten a hangover from being drunk. So unlike him. He would never try Chu's suggestion of drink again.

"He's finally awake," Hiei's voice drifted in from above.

"Wha' happened?" Yusuke asked, daring to sit up and rubbing his temples in an attempt to relieve the pounding in his head.

He felt Kurama place a warm cup in his hands. "You became very drunk last night, you may remember, and then you became sick. We feared you may have gotten poisoned from consumption."

Yusuke sniffed the drink and then held it away from him, snorting as if trying to rid his nostrils of the scent, but Kurama pushed the cup back towards him. "What is this, Kurama?" he coughed. "It smells like ass! There better be magic healing plants in here!"

"The tea is for your stomach, a remedy of my own invention," Kurama answered, then with a bit of amusement he continued, "I spiked it with ordinary aspirin. I'm a plant master, not a magician."

There was a pause as a heavy air set over them while Yusuke sipped his tea. Kurama's mention of a magician reminded them all of why they were here in the first place as well as the chance they had missed last night on getting a lead. Yusuke looked to Kuwabara who was obviously in deep meditation, searching as far as he could without straining the tether to his human body for something he may be able to use to help.

Yusuke heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry, guys," he said mournfully. "I really didn't mean to get drunk and screw things up last night. I must be really stupid."

To Yusuke's surprise, Hiei huffed, but his words were something akin to kind. "I should have warned you, detective," he said, referring to the drinks Yusuke ordered. "I thought you knew."

"You really didn't have that many," Kurama supported. "Perhaps your lack of exposure to the Makai brand's ingredients caused such an effect."

There was silence for a moment. Already Yusuke's headache was beginning to recede aided by the aspirin and excelled by Kurama's tea leaves.

"So what do we do now?" Yusuke asked.

Kurama looked at Hiei. "Hiei claims there is another place he knows of not terribly far from here that may provide answers."

"It's where everyone goes to follow a rumor," Hiei said.

"You think we can catch wind of something this rare there?" Yusuke wondered aloud.

Hiei shrugged. "It's the same place where I heard of Shigure."

"Shigure?" Yusuke echoed, though he looked to Kurama.

Kurama merely smirked and tapped the front of his forehead. _The Jagan implant_.

The fox took the empty cup from Yusuke, rinsed it, and packed it away. "We really must be going now. It's getting late."

They looked to Kuwabara, who simply breathed deeply and opened his eyes. "I heard ya," he said, locating his pack and flinging it over his shoulder.

They nodded, and Hiei began to lead the way.

000

Hiei's idea of "not far", they decided after a while, was a little skewed. So far the company had crossed several different types of terrain, and the sun had crossed well past midday, which is a long time in the Makai where the days are significantly longer. They only had to stop a few times to rest and eat. Kuwabara's body was still not accustomed to the change, but he refused to rest more than absolutely necessary. The others secretly worried for his condition, and Yusuke even called a break, claiming his headache had returned with a vengeance, just to keep the psychic from overworking himself. Of course, during their brief stops, Kuwabara busied himself with searching the Makai's energies and fated strings in ethereal form. It was very concerning indeed.

They passed out of the cold that the glacier had left behind even though it had returned to its lofty place in the sky. They ran through dense forestry, some of which had such thick underbrush, Kurama had to persuade the plants to make a path for them. The forest soon turned to boggy swampland where they hopped from one muddy landmass to another, Kuwabara nearly losing a shoe when his foot went under. Soon, the trees began to thin into what appeared to be an ancient forest of evergreens. The tree trunks towered above them and blocked enough sunlight that very few shrubs grew on the forest floor.

They stopped to take another break. The sun was sinking startlingly low in the sky again at this point. A whole day had gone by without them reaching the village Hiei had spoken of.

"We are very close," Hiei told them.

"You said that five hours ago!" Yusuke said, sitting on the ground with a huff.

"I believe we can make it easily before nightfall," he clarified.

"The colonized populations are spread very thin here," Kurama explained. "Personally, I am surprised that we have nearly reached our destination. I had assumed that we could expect to arrive there tomorrow morning."

"We have to get there before nightfall," Hiei said. "Or at least out of these woods."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow, and Kuwabara opened his eyes, re-entering from his meditation.

"Yeah, I can feel it," Kuwabara said looking to the tops of the trees as if he could see something invisible. "I get a funny feeling from his place. There are threads I have never seen before… I…" He met their eyes. "I think we are going in the right direction."

Hiei smirked. "I thought these woods were strange enough."

Kurama frowned. He had been listening to plant life all day, as he so often did. Plants had interesting things to tell each other. They saw and heard everything that happened around them, but very few beings knew how to communicate with the plant life to ask a flower if it has seen anything unusual. The trees here whispered and then shushed each other at the newcomer's approach. Kurama had not wanted to alarm his comrades, but much of any whispering that he caught was that of malicious intent. This was not a common muttering among plants, much less something as patient and wise as a tree. The forest was either very distrustful, or it was protecting something.

_Leave! They are trampling intruders!_

_Axe-wielders and bark-breakers!_

_Shhhhhhh! Do not speak! They may hear!_

_Kill them!_

_Quiet! _

_Kill them! Let our roots drink their blood!_

_Feast! Feast! Feast! _

_Shhhhhh! My sisters! Patience! The sun sets!_

Kurama stood, only slightly more abruptly than he had intended. "If everyone is recovered, we should head onward if we are to make it before dark."

The others agreed and they continued their pace. A trickle of sweat dribbled down the side of Kurama's face as he continued to shift his gaze around. The trees hissed after them as they passed, unbeknownst to everyone except the fox. Perhaps he should warn them… But there was still at least an hour before dark, which seemed to be what the trees were waiting for. Hiei had provided time to be out of the forest by nightfall.

Kuwabara tripped on a tree root, but regained his footing. The path was getting darker by the minute. This wasn't right. They should still have plenty of light left in the sky. The sun had been high enough only a moment ago…

"Stop!" Kurama shouted, and everyone obeyed in confusion.

"The trees! Look!" he pointed, wide-eyed.

The groaning around them, barely perceptible before, had picked up. The trees were closing in, shading the sun further from the forest floor. Soon, they would been completely plunged into darkness.

"What's going on?" Yusuke asked, charging his spiritual energy.

"I don't know!" Kurama said, putting his hand to the ground and sending out his energy. "I can't control their movements!"

Hiei pulled out his sword, and Kuwabara released the Reiken. Kurama stood and pulled a rose from his hair.

"Spirit Gun!" Yusuke shouted, releasing the ball of energy at something the others had not seen creeping up behind them.

"What? What was it?" Kuwabara asked, closing in his back to the circle they had formed.

"I couldn't tell what they were, but there were a lot of 'em!" Yusuke said back, charging his energy into his fists.

All of a sudden it seemed they were surrounded, for out of the darkness loomed a growing amount of creatures. They were grotesque and knotted, their heads malformed, and their bark-shelled bodies misshaped. Hollow, pitted eyes glared hungrily, and they smiled with pearly teeth that appeared to be human, grinning in the dark. The trees continued to close in.

"Heh, the vermin have infested this place," Hiei sneered.

Kurama furrowed his brow. "Plant Nymphs," he said lowly.

Hiei started it all, tired of sitting around. He lunged at a nearby creature that was as large as Gouki, leaving a trail of ten creatures whose limbs had been hewn from their trunks. Kurama had managed a similar effect with his rose whip, though his range was far greater, and he had a tendency to behead his opponents. Yusuke picked off the nymphs that got too close with his fists, leaving a circle of destruction which the other nymphs had to climb over thereafter. Kuwabara cut widely with his reiken, raking large groups of creatures aside where they fell, severed.

They were making good progress, it seemed. Or, at least it had seemed that way before the nymphs began to rise once again. Their pieces grew back together again, or limbs reformed before they stood again to fight. Some of the creatures even formed together by accident to create a few nymphs far larger than the others. The team tried to knock their opponents into tinier pieces to prevent reformation, but to no avail. If anything, it made the problem worse, creating more of the large creatures while the smaller ones continued to gather. The team was soon thoroughly separated in the confusion, and the creatures were now close enough to grab and bite at their prey.

Hiei, having finally had enough of the nonsense, gathered his energy around him and sent out a whirlwind of fire through the ranks. The creatures screeched in the flames and ran amok, setting their own comrades on fire.

"Hey, good work, Hiei!" Yusuke whooped, punching a nearby nymph into nothing.

However the celebration was short lived. While some nymphs turned to ash, others who had survived the flames began to reform and seemed to screech in horror at their fallen brothers. Kurama heard their words.

_Him! The tree eater! _

_Break his bones!_

_Devour his flesh, daughters mine!_

_Bring me the salamander's head!_

"Hiei, no! Look out!" Kurama shouted, but it was too late.

The nymphs had heard the commands and stopped their other tasks in favor of tackling Hiei. Soon he was swarmed in a mass of bark and bodies, the creatures having grabbed and restrained him. Flames shot from within the writhing pile, but there were enough bodies that the sparks could no longer breathe.

Kurama turned to Yusuke and Kuwabara, shouting, "The nymph mother! We must find the nymph mother!"

Yusuke and Kuwabara had no idea why he was shouting so loudly, for as the voices raged all around Kurama in a deafening roar, the other two detectives could only hear rustling and the occasional screech.

Shrugging to each other, they shouted back, "How to we find the nymph mother?"

"Follow them!" Kurama instructed, running after the migrating nymph herd.

As they followed the herd, they tore at the bodies, attempting to reach Hiei, who resided somewhere in the middle of it all. However, the masses were too huge, and the plant creatures moved onward as if they had a greater purpose than fighting (Yusuke scoffed). They would have feared more for Hiei's life if they could not plainly hear his muffled curses and the screeches of the nymphs that he burned in attempts to free himself. It appeared that perhaps although the Dragon of the Darkness Flame would have helped his case greatly, the nymphs had hold of his limbs so that he found it impossible to unwrap the ward. Curse the thing for being so securely in place in this moment!

Soon darkness had completely descended upon them, night having finally arrived. With the trees shielding any further light, the forest was plunged into pitch blackness. The three standing warriors were continuing along guided only by sounds and screeches of the tromping creatures. The only sources of sight were the faint light of Kuwabara's reiken and the occasional flash of light from Yusuke's energy or Hiei's fit of rage. They began to wonder if the creatures were not actually wandering around in circles when at long last the herd came to a stop.

_Yess…_

_Bring him here, my darlings!_

_Bring him to me that I may feast!_

"She's going to eat Hiei!" Kurama declared to the others, lunging blindly for the nymphs again, to dig Hiei out.

_Feed, mother, feed!_

"Kurama! Where's the nymph mother?" Yusuke shouted in what he deemed to be Kurama's general direction.

"No time! She'll eat him before I find her in the dark!" Kurama shouted back. The herd was so huge now with new and old nymphs altogether that they could no longer ascertain which direction the mass was actually moving.

"Damnit!" Hiei shouted from somewhere.

Obviously not the direction Kurama had thought. The fox took in a deep breath of frustration and actually dove on top of the pile, swimming through it almost. He grabbed a foot to move it from his path.

"Get off me!" he heard Hiei shout before he was kicked in the face by the foot.

"Agh! Hiei, it's me!" Kurama said, holding his bloody nose with one hand, and hanging onto his friend with the other.

"How did you—"

"Not important," Kurama interrupted. "We must find a way out now!"

"You don't know a way out?" Hiei asked incredulously.

Kurama glared in his direction although he was fairly certain Hiei wouldn't see it and said in a sharp tone, "You should count yourself lucky that it's _me_ making this up as I go!"

Hiei was about to retort when from behind him came a yawning creak. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end at the sound and warm breath fanned strongly from behind him. All of a sudden, his limbs were released and he was tipped backward into the breathing thing. With a yelp he quickly grabbed at where Kurama had been, successfully snatching a firm hold of the fox's hair. Kurama, too was now being yanked backward by Hiei's weight and the nymph's shoving. He barely had time to grab onto the lumpy head of the nymph nearest to him to keep them both from falling into the darkness.

"Oh, god damnit!" Hiei snarled, unable to right himself with all of the nymph's shoving and pushing in their attempts to knock him into the nymph mother's mouth.

"Shotgun!" Yusuke's voice rang out.

The entire forest was momentarily filled with a brilliant light, and the nymph mother screamed. Slowly, the nymph children released their grasps, wilting and crumpling to the ground. Everyone took a deep breath as the tree branches retreated to their original positions, letting in the bright light of the full moon. Behind Hiei and Kurama stood the remains of the nymph mother. She appeared to be no more than a massive head at least thirty feet in diameter rooted to the ground, her mouth stretching wide, opening up into the earth like a passageway to Hell's wonderland.

"That was incredible, Yusuke," Kurama panted, standing up and dusting himself off. He rubbed his head where he had been almost certain Hiei had pulled out his hair. "How did you find it?"

"I heard Hiei yell once, and I thought I knew where she was, since you said something about her 'eating' and all. I was sure when you guys yelled again," Yusuke shrugged, miming the blast again with his hand.

They regrouped, crunching towards each other over the bodies of the fallen nymph children.

"Do you always guess when you shoot?" Hiei huffed, noticing the proximity between his previous position and the nymph mother's hollowed heart.

"It's the shotgun!" Yusuke retorted. "It shoots up pretty much everything in a general direction, so I don't have to worry about aiming too much."

Kurama chuckled. "Yusuke, your luck is nothing short of genius. Wouldn't you agree, Kuwabara?"

There was silence.

The team cast around for their friend in panic. They had just gotten out of one crisis. Were they already encountering another?

Kurama turned and suddenly felt something cold and blade-like at his throat. How unlike him to be so distracted. From the silence, his other comrades must have been in the same predicament.

"You lost your human, it seems," a voice said from the shadows.

000

**So I realized that I made Yusuke seem like a senseless jerk in the last chapter. That is not what I think of him at all! I just couldn't make finding a warlock that easy. And, I had to find some way to create this scene. Not to be conceited, but I am pretty darn proud of my "Nymph Mother" idea. :3 I sat here at chuckled to myself quietly with a hand on my chin for a long time of scheming before I put it into action. Nevertheless, I hoped you enjoyed it!**

**Nymphs: Typically fabled to be nature-based female spirits who are beautiful and love to sing and dance. I changed that here, now didn't I? Kurama shall explain in the next chapter.**

**I also wanted to establish that Hiei is not all-powerful. He can be kidnapped by nymphs. Kurama is a plant master, but he is not a magician, and he cannot control everything. He is not all-knowing. Yusuke is carefree, but he is loyal to his friends. He is a good fighter, and he knows how to deal with a serious situation. Kuwabara is... gone?**


End file.
